Riding mowers are often used for cutting grass over large areas of ground. Such mowers have a wheeled frame powered by a prime mover, such as an internal combustion engine, carried on the frame. An operator is also carried on the frame on an operator's seat. The operator can control the movement of the frame though various traction drive controls along with some type of steering system. Such riding mowers can more productively and quickly cut large areas of ground than when using a walk behind mower.
Riding mowers as described above often carry a cutting deck that houses multiple cutting blades across the width thereof. These cutting blades rotate about substantially vertical axes in horizontal cutting planes. The cutting blades are staggered relative to one another, or are timed relative to one another, such that the cutting blades collectively cut a single wide swath of grass across the width of the riding mower. When used to cut grass as just described, the multiple cutting blades typically carried on the cutting deck create copious quantities of grass clippings.
There are two fairly common ways of dealing with the grass clippings created by the operation of a riding mower having a multi-bladed cutting deck. One way is to simply discharge the grass clippings onto the surface of the mowed turf where the grass clippings will eventually decompose and act as mulch. The other way is to mount a grass collector on the riding mower and to discharge the grass clippings into the grass collector for collection therein. When the grass collector becomes full, the operator can go to a dump site and dump or remove the grass clippings from the grass collector. The use of a grass collector is often used if the operator wishes the mowed turf to have a neater after cut appearance or at times of the year when the collection of the grass clippings or other debris picked up by the cutting deck, such as leaves, is desirable.
The grass collectors used on riding mowers are adapted to retain a large quantity of grass clippings in keeping with the large quantity of grass clippings that can be generated by the operation of a multi-bladed cutting deck. Usually, the grass collector comprises some type of rigid frame that supports an upper trough or hood that runs across the width of the grass collector. At least one, but typically more than one, container or bag is also carried on the collector frame beneath the hood. Grass clippings generated by the operation of the blades are carried to the hood by a flexible duct or conduit connecting the hood to the cutting deck. The grass clippings laterally flow across the hood with the grass clippings then falling down into the various containers or bags supported beneath the hood. The containers or bags can be removed from beneath the hood in order to dump the grass clippings out of the containers or bags.
Obviously, such a grass collector has substantially more structure than the single grass collector bag used on a walk behind mower. A grass collector of the type described above comprises a rigid frame, a fairly long grass discharge hood at the top of the frame, and usually multiple containers or bags carried on the frame beneath the hood. However, even for such a large and relatively complex grass collector, there is a need for the operator to be able to easily mount or dismount the grass collector from the mower itself. This is due to the fact that there are times when the operator might wish to bag the grass clippings while there may be many other times when the operator wishes to simply discharge the grass clippings onto the surface of the mowed turf. Thus, being able to quickly remove or install the grass collector from the mower is important.
Exmark Manufacturing, Co., the assignee of this invention, currently makes and sells a grass collector that can mount relatively quickly and easily to a riding mower. Basically, the grass collector has a pair of lower pivot links that must be slipped over the ends of a pair of pivot pins on the mower to pivotally connect the grass collector to the mower. The grass collector can then be lifted upwardly with the grass collector pivoting about the pivot pins until the upper portion of the grass collector abuts with the mower. The upper portion of the grass collector must then be pinned on either side to a pair of plates. In one case, these are mounted on either side of the mower as part of the Roll Over Protection System (ROPS). Such a grass collector has been sold for use on the Frontrunner® brand of Exmark mowers.
Despite the fact that the above-described grass collector is easier to mount than many other grass collectors, it still presents certain difficulties. For example, the lower links must be held in place on the pivot pins using hairpins. Similarly, the upper portion of the collector must be pinned to the ROPS plates. This requires that the operator have on hand or be able to find the required pins. In addition to pinning the upper portion of the grass collector to the ROPS plates, the operator must align a hole in the grass collector frame with a hole in the ROPS plates to allow insertion of the connecting pin. This can be difficult to do given manufacturing tolerance variations in the parts or given any sag in the grass collector as the operator attempts to make the required alignment. Thus, a mounting system for a grass collector that would solve or diminish some of these remaining problems is desirable.